Colombo Appeals Court stays order on Buddha statue case

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 June 2005, 18:10 GMT]The Court of Appeals Friday issued restraining order on the Trincomalee Police and Trincomalee Urban Council preventing from temporarily removing the Buddha statue, erected in a State land located close to the Trincomalee central bus stand, as earlier ordered by Trincomalee Magistrate Mr.M.Ganesharajah, legal sources said.

The Court of Appeal further directed the respondents cited in the petition filed by Mr.Keerthi Jayalal, Secretary of the Trincomalee Three Wheelers' Association, to appear in court on June 29. The restraining order will be in
force till June 30, legal sources said.

The petitioner prayed in his petition that the order made by the Trincomalee Magistrate is contrary to the law and against Buddhism. He pleaded in his petition to nullify the order of the Magistrate, legal sources said.

On the first date of inquiry on the application made by the Trincomalee Police under Section 81 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the Judge made an order on May 18 that the police should take all possible steps to temporarily remove the statue by holding direct talks with the parties
concerned and thereafter a solution could be found by the UC administration by taking legal action again unlawful structures.

The Judge further instructed the UC to take legal steps against any other unlawful structures of other faiths if proper complaint is made. The court confirmed this order when the case was taken up for further inquiry again on May 25, legal sources said.

The petitioner challenged this order in the Court of Appeals and obtained the restraining order, legal sources said.